


A Life of Numbers

by WarriorQean



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 21:57:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19450303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarriorQean/pseuds/WarriorQean
Summary: Endgame Spoilers!Peter has lost many, but the loss of his mentor - no - father, well nothing has ever compared to that.





	A Life of Numbers

Major Endgame Spoilers, if you haven't seen the movie then you should NOT read this chapter. If you want your life to be ruined by the movie being spoiled then by all means, read this chapter. 

You have been warned.

\------------------------------

Peter Parker had seen many things in his lifetime. 

When he was 14 he became Spiderman. 6 months later a man by the name of Tony Stark had shown up in his apartment and taken him to Germany, where he fought many superheroes. Including Captain America (he'd always been a bit proud of that). 

At age 15 he got his first "girlfriend". Her dad turned out to be a sycophantic arms dealer and Peter taking him down had caused her to move away. He also held a ferry together with his very own hands and had his mentor Tony Stark tell him that he was disappointed in him. Then he'd had his Spiderman suit taken away by said mentor only to have it given back after a few days. 

When he was 16 he went on a field trip when aliens once again arrived in New York. He helped of course, got a new suit along the way, and then snuck on board a spaceship. He fought off a mad alien who wanted to kill half of the universe and failed. He watched his mentor, ok his father, have a very close brush with death. 

Then something weird happened. 

He felt himself breaking up and passing out, then he woke up to see Tony was gone and suddenly he was fighting Thanos again (the crazy alien murderer). And then Tony hugged him. 

There had been a day, a day that seemed like a lifetime ago, that Tony Stark had dropped off Peter at his apartment. Peter had mistook his mentor opening the door for him as a hug, and had never felt more embarrassed in his life. Tony had told him We're not there yet. 

Peter was glad that they finally were there. 

But all good things ended eventually. 

So at age 16 (although technically he was 21 with the time spent dusted), he sat helpless as he watched his mentor, hero, and father, die. 

It wasn't the first time he had lost a father. His real father had died when Peter was young, and he didn't remember him at all so he wasn't that sad even though he knew it was abortive thing to say. And Uncle Ben had died in his arms at the hand of a mugger. He would never forget the way the Crimson blood had stained his hands that day, and they were still stained to this day in his dreams at least. 

So when Tony's time came, Peter was a pro at loss.

He begged him not to, but Tony had just looked at him with so much in his stare. So much pride, love, and happiness that Peter didn't have to regret never telling him the truth. Because Tony already knew. 

The funeral had been... fitting. It wasn't over the top or to sad. Peter fought to keep it together through the whole thing, and even with May's hand on his shoulder he wanted to drown himself in that lake to be with Tony. After the initial funeral part was over he had stepped off to the side and taken a moment to fully understand what was happening. Pepper had come up to him then. 

"I have something for you." She said, and handed Peter a white envelope with his name written on the outside. He looked at her blankly. 

"He had originally left you almost everything, but changed it after Morgan. You still have considerable stock in the business if it ever gets back up and running again but you will have to answer to Morgan," she smiled a sad smile, "The check is all yours though, and you can spend it how you wish though I must advise against using it all on Lego sets." 

She patted his arm and turned to leave, and it was only then Peter found his voice, "But I was dead."

Pepper turned to him with another sad smile, "He never gave up hope that there was a way."

Pepper walked away and Peter slid his finger slowly along the flap to the envelope. Inside were three pieces of paper. He started with the first. 

Hey kid,

If you're reading this then we won and saved the world yet again. But it also means that I'm not there anymore. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we won. But it would have been nice to have a bit longer with Morgan. She's sweet and she'll like you. I think you'd enjoy it, being a big brother, so give it a go. The worst thing she can do is run away and hide in her playhouse. 

Peter, I know it probably never seemed like it, but I cared about you as much as o care about Morgan. And through these last few years without you that has become more evident to me. When you died on Titan I didn't allow myself to believe you were really dead, but I guess I never gave up hope that there was a way. A way to bring you all back. 

It was you that made me do it. The time heist that is. I didn't loose a lot of people, but I did loose a son. I just never knew it when I could tell said son what he meant to me. I'm sure Peppers told you about the money, and I must advise to spend it wisely. 

Your friend, colleague, and father, 

I love you forever,

Mr. Stark

Peter hadn't realized he was crying until the tears became to much and overpowered his vision. He cried for a long time that day, whispering to the wind that he loved his father figure and always would. Hoping against hope that Tony could hear him.

The other pieces of paper consisted of some kind of graph with some signatures on it and a lot of technical Mumbo jumbo, and there was also a check for a substantial amount (of which Peter would later use to go to college, ok and two Lego sets).

He eventually went on with his normal life. Traveled to Europe at 17 and got recruited by Nick Fury. He and MJ started going out soon after that, and his life began to take shape. He still visited Pepper and Morgan regularly, fulfilling the "big brother" role quite well. He graduated on time and got excepted into MIT. 

He liked to think the Tony would have been proud. 

At 24 he proposed to MJ, and five months later he married the love of his life. They were expecting their first child (a girl, though Peter didn't know it at the time), when Pepper approached him about re-opening Stark industries. He agreed on the spot and slowly the pair began to rebuild the company. They were both hardworking and eventually Morgan took over for her mother when she was old enough. Peter told her endless stories about her father, and she in turn kept the secret of Spiderman. That same year he reinstated Happy as head of security and Happy and May got married. 

Lilliana Natasha, him and MJ's first, was four when her baby brother was born. Peter got permission from Pepper to name their child Tony, and she cried when they asked her. 

His children grew up and had children of their own, steadily MJ's health had started to go downhill. He'd been there with her at the end and held her hand as she went to join all those they'd lost. He was around 75 or so at the time, and had been no stranger to death at that point. Yet it still hit him as hard as all he others. 

He sat on a bench by a lake now, thinking over his life. May, Pepper, and Happy had all been gone for a good twenty or more years now. Morgan had married twice (having the same reckless spirit of her father he thought with a smile) and had five children. He'd heard Stark industries had been doing great in the past years but wasn't sure. He had withdrew from the business long ago when he and MJ reached retirement together. Spiderman was a distant memory, and now a different Parker owned the suit he had so long ago begged Mr. Stark not to take away from him. It had passed into the hands of his own son when he became old enough, and he would one day pass it to Peter's grandson, who was only twelve right now. The mantel of Spiderman would continue even when he did not. 

The cabin still stood through all the years, and Peter could see it like yesterday. His scrawny, 16 year old self standing with his hands clasped and head down while fighting off tears from a death that he still had yet to take in. He remembered seeing a boy there, a boy not much older than himself. What had his name been again? Harry? Harvey? It was no matter now, and Peter shook his head once to clear it. He could feel the old curls of death approaching and he felt himself let go. He had long ago stopped fearing death after the five years he had spent as ash floating on a breeze. He smiled, taking one last look at the lake, and with a smile on his face, drew his last breath. 

\---------------------------

Peter awoke in a glistening room. 

"Come on kid, that's right open your eyes," a voice said, "Come on kid almost there."

Peters eyelids fluttered open and he was helped to his feet. He seemed to be much younger and looking into one of the mirrors hanging on the walls he appeared as he had in his early 20's. He smiled and then gasped when he saw who stood next to him. 

Without a second of hesitation he threw his arms around the man and heard a chuckle he had not heard for over half a century. 

"I love you," Peter told the other man, "I thought I'd never got to tell you." Another chuckle. 

"Never give up hope kid, or should I call you Peter now? Seeing as you're all grown up."

Peter smiled as they broke apart, "You can call me kid." He looked around the room and the man seemed to understand. 

"I'll take you to see them now if you like."

Peters heart raced, "They're here?"

A nod, "May, Happy, Pepper...and of course Michelle."

Peter grinned wider, "Let's go now."

Tony Stark grinned back and threw his arm around his sons shoulders, leading him to see his family.


End file.
